Shaft-rotating device



April 22 1924. 1,491,161

w. E. MOREY SHAFT ROTATING DEVICE Filed June 5, 1922 Lil:

W! a 54/ 1, Z7 w zg Z] I fzzuew' 72555 WoM am Z Morey Patented Apr. 22, 1924.

UNITED STATES v 1,491,161 PATENT WILLIAM E. MOREY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNO'R TQ NATIONAL DUMP CAR COM- PANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

SHAFT-ROTATING DEVICE.

Application ma June 5,

To all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that I, l/VILLIAM E. MOREY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illi- 6 nois, have inventedc ertain new and useful Improvements in Shaft-Rotating Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new and improved shaft rotatingdevice and more par- 10 ticularly toa device for use in connection with car door operating shafts adapted to permit rotation of the shaft in advance of an operating lever. v I I In certain types of door opening and clos- 15 ing and locking mechanism now in use upon dump cars and hopper cars, the mechanism is so designed that it is moved past a dead center in closing and locking. In these cars the weight of material in the car thrusts 2 against the doors and consequently as soon as the operating mechanism has been moved past the dead center upon its opening movement, there is a tendency for the material to cause the doors to swing open with a rush. 2 This tendency imparts ,a sudden shock to the operating mechanism as that mechanism passes the dead center. This results not only in injury to-the mechanism but in danger to the person operating the mechanism.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an additional mechanism in cooperation with the door operating and closing mechanism of these types, this additional mechanism serving to prevent the sudden lever or wheel and to the operator.

It'is a further object to provide means whereby the door operating mechanism may move forward free from the operating wheel or lever for more than a complete revolution when the mechanism passes its dead center.

It is an additional object to provide means of this character which are simple in design and construction and positive in operation and which may be added to existing installations without material alteration thereof.

Other and further objects will appear as the description proceeds.

Broadly, my invention comprises an actuating member in combination with a car door operating shaft, this member being fixedly associated with the shaft and additional elements adapted to so coact with the actuating member and with each other as to shock being transmitted to the operating 1922. Serial No. 565,980.

positively rotate the shaft and furtherto perhopper car showing the door operating mech anism with my invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a transverse section showing the mechanism of Figure 1; I

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view on a larger scale and partly in section showing my shaft rotating device;

Figure 4 is a section taken on line 44;

of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 3 but showing a modified form of the device.

In order to illustrate the application of my invention, I have shown it in association with a door operating mechanism which is ,old in the art and which is no part of the presentinvention. The portion of the car as shown comprises the car sills 6, the car fioor 7 and hopper bottom 8. The hopper vdoor 9 is hinged at 10 adjacent the floor portion 7. The car door operating shaft 11 is carried in hangers 12 below the hopper bottom 8. itigidly connected to the shaft 11 is the arm 18 which is connected by links 14 and 15 to the bolt 16. The bolt 16 is connected to the hopper door 9 through bracket 17. The actuating member 18 and retaining sleeve 19 are "secured to the shaft 11 by means of pin or rivet 20 as best shown in Figure 3. The V sleeve 19 is provided with the ratchet-teeth 21 and the overhanging retaining lip 22. I The pawl 23 is pivoted to the hanger 12 at 24 and is adaptedto engage the ratchet teeth 21 on member 19. The outerheavier end of the pawl may be engaged by the dog 25 which is pivoted at 26 to the hanger 12,this dog serving to lock the pawl in place against the ratchet-wheel.

The arm '13, linksl i. and 15, the pawl 23 and dog 25 as so far described are old and as stated, formno part of the present invention. In the construction as heretofore used, the shaft 11 would be rotated by a Wheel or lever positively connected to the end of the shaft.

According to my invention, the retaining sleeve 19 forms an axially facing circular recess overhung by the lip 22. The axially extending lug 27 projects from that portion of member 18 forming the inner face of the recess, the lug having both of its lateral faces extending on radial lines. The operating disk 28 is retained in the recess and is provided on its inner face with a lug 29 adapted to coact with the lug 27. This disk 28 is further provided on its outer face with a similar lug 30. The outer operating member has a disk portion 31 fitting in the recess, a shoulder 32 fitting between the lips 22 and an outer squared portion 33 adapted to receive an operating lever. The inner face of the portion 31 carries the axially extending lug 34, the lateral faces of which are upon radial lines, this lug being adapted to coact with the lug 30.

The form of the device shown in Figure 5 is similar to that already described with the addition of another operating disk 28 provided with lugs 29 and 30 upon its opposite faces.

In assembling the mechanism, the outer operating member is first placed in the sleeve 19, followed by the interior operating disks and the actuating member 18. The member.

18 is then slipped on the end of the shaft 11 and the single securing pin 20 serves to hold the elements assembled and in place on the shaft.

When assembled, as shownv in Figure 3, the lug 29 is adapted to coact with the lug 27 and the lug 30 with the lug 34. The size and relation of the lugs is such that the outer operating member may be rotated upon the shaft 11 in either direction more than a full circumference before the lugs are engaged.

In closing the car door, the outer operating member is rotated in the clockwise direction as seen in Figure '1. The member rotates freely until lug 34 engages the lug 30 when the disk 28'is carried with it until the lug 29 engages the lug 27 and then the shaft 11 is caused to rotate with the operating member. The rotation of the shaft swings the arm 13 in the clockwise direction and the links are broughtto the position shown in Figure 1, the door being fully closed. It is to be understood that during this operation, the dog 25 is out of engagement with the pawl 23 and hence the pawl coacts with the teeth 21 on the member 19 to have a ratchet action preventing back slip of the door. When the door is fully closed, the links and arm form a holding train which is past a dead center. That is, if the pawl is released from the teeth 21, direct thrust by the door 9 will not serve to swing it open.

In order to open the door, it is necessary to disengage the pawl and rotate the shaft 11 in a counterclockwise direction until the holding train is past its dead center. In order to do this, the operating member is rotated in the counterclockwise direction. It moves freely from the position it held when closing the door until it rotates sufliciently to bring the lug 34 against the opposite side of the lug 30 and the lug 29 against the opposite side of lug 27. Further movement then of the outer operating member causes the shaft 11 to rotate therewith in the counterclockwise direction.

As soon as the holding train passes its dead center, the thrust of the material against the door 9 or the weight of the door itself, if the car is empty, serves to exert a pull upon the shaft 11 tending to continue its rotation in the counterclockwise direc tion until the door is fully opened. If the car is fully loaded with easy flowing mate rial, considerable shock will be imparted to the shaft at the instant of passing the dead center. This pull upon the shaft will cause it to rotate and the lug 27 will leave the'lug 29 and continue in advance until the door is open. No pull will be imparted to the operating member or to any operating handle or wheel connected thereto. The sum of the amount of circumferential clearance between the lugs 27 and 29, and 30 and 3 1 is ample to permit the shaft 11 to rotate sufficiently to permit the door to fully open without bringing. the lugs into engagement upon their opposite sides. The total clearance maybe increased by using additional disks as shown in Figure 5. i

It is to be understood that my invention is adapted for use in connection with various other door operatingmechanisms, one such mechanism having been shown for purposes of illustration only. Further-my apparatus is capable of modification to adapt it to varying constructions and it is my intention to cover all such modifications coming within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a car dooroperating shaft, an actuating member and a retaining sleeve fixed to the shaft, and operating means held in cooperative relationship with the actuating member by the retaining sleeve, the actuating member and operating means being provided with interengaging portions adapted to positively rotate the shaft and to permit rotation of the shaft in advance of movement of the operating means.

2. In combination with a car door operating shaft, an actuating member and a retaining sleeve fixed to the shaft, and operating means held in cooperative relationship with the actuating member by the retaining sleeve, the actuating member and operating means being provided with interengaging portions adapted to positively rotate the shaft and to permit rotation of the shaft in advance of movement of the operating means, said operating means being provided with a squared portion adapted to receive an operating lever.

3. In combination with a car door operating shaft, an actuating member and a retaining sleeve fixed to the shaft, and operating means held in cooperativerelationship with the actuating member by the retaining sleeve, said means comprising at plurality of elements adapted to permit a limited relative rotation therebetween, the actuating member and operating means being provided with interengaging portions adapted to positively rotate the shaft and to permit rotation of the shaft in advance of movement of the operating means.

4. In combination with a car door operating shaft, an actuating member and a retaining sleeve fixed to the shaft, and operating means held in cooperative relationship with the actuating member by the retaining sleeve, said means comprising a plurality of elements having interengaging lugs adapted to permit a limited relative rotation between the elements, the actuating member and operating means being provided with interengaging portions adapted to positively rotate the shaft and to permit rotation of the shaft in advance of movement of the operating means.

5. In combination with a car door op erating shaft, an actuating member and a retaining sleeve fixed to the shaft, and a plurality of operating disks in said sleeve, interengaging lugs on said disks and actuating member, said lugs being adapted to permit limited relative rotation betweenthe actuating member and the adjacent disk, and between juxtaposed disks.

6. In combination with a car door operating shaft, an actuating member and a retaining sleeve fixed to the shaft, and a plurality of operating disks in said sleeve, the sleeve having an overhanging lip adapted to retain the disks in place therein, interengaging lugs on said disks and actuating member, said lugs being adapted to permit limited relative rotation between the actuating member and the adjacent disk, and between juxtaposed disks.

7. In combination with a car door operatin shaft, an actuating member and a. retaining sleeve fixed to the shaft, and a plurality of operating disks in said sleeve, interengaging lugs on said disks and actuating member, said lugs being adapted to permit limited relative rotation between the actuating member and the adjacent disk, and between juxtaposed disks, the outer disk being provided with a portion extending beyond the sleeve adapted to be engaged by an operating lever.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 31st day of May, 1922.

' WILLIAM E. MOREY. 

